1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electronic program guide (EPG)-based television set and/or set top box having a built-in mass storage device, and more particularly, to a system and method of providing a television (TV) program sharing service that enables sharing of the TV program among the TV sets and/or the set top boxes.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The electronic program guide (EPG) is for providing diverse broadcasting information such as channel information, edit information, program information, etc., through the TV. The EPG enables a user to instantly inquire about the broadcasting information while the user views the TV and to properly cope with the change of such information. The EPG has already been popularized in the United States, Europe, etc.
The EPG also provides a reserved recording of a program desired by the user according to a program schedule.
However, if any program desired by the user is not in the present program schedule, i.e., if the program has already been broadcast, the EPG can provide no way to record the corresponding program. In this case, a program provider (for example, a broadcasting station) may provide the program by a video on demand (VOD) service, but the program provider should operate a separate server for the VOD operation.